Game of Life
by monkkie-jedi
Summary: Drabbles about the life of our favorite weapon-meister couple after the battle of the kishin. Follows their lives as not only a new couple, but also with their children. Chapter 1 Seeing Red - Maka has only shared the bed with Soul for a couple of months when she wakes up to an unwelcome surprise: her period.


They've only been sleeping in the same bed for a couple of months when Maka is startled awake by a wetness that she knows, with a sinking feeling, could only be one thing.

She's almost scared to look, slowly pulling the blankets away from her body so that she can get a glimpse of what's pulled her out of her dreams. Even in the dark, when the stain is nothing more than a black splotch on the sheets and blankets, she knows exactly what it is. If the sudden cramps and aching chest are anything to remind her, the pounding headache is another as she groans, dropping her head into her pillow while Soul quietly snores beside her.

He's blissfully unaware of what's going on, sleeping peacefully while Maka panics at his side. But it won't last much longer – can't – because she has to get up and bathe, strip the sheets and blankets before the stain sets in.

Then, Maka remembers just what's going on: she _started her period_, in the _same bed_ as her boyfriend, leaving blood all over the sheets.

And just as suddenly as she woke up, she feels the embarrassment spread until it feels like a cold sweat when she gets sick. There's no way she can tell Soul what's happened; but what can she do? It's not like she can just go bathe and act like nothing happened. He'll notice the sheets as soon as he wakes up, if not sooner.

Then her head pounds and her stomach cramps painfully, making her cringe and curl into a tight ball. There is _no way _she is cleaning everything up. She doesn't even want to get up, much less strip the sheets and set them washing. It's not that she doesn't want to; she literally _can't. _

_Great, _she thinks to herself, more pissed at her body than anything. _We've only been sharing the same room for two and a half months and he has to see me like…_this. Another cringe. She holds her breath, hoping that she can ride out the pain and get to the bathroom, where she can sit in a hot bath. But then there's a sudden spike of discomfort and she can't hold back her muttered curses that she had _hoped _were under her breath.

And then she freezes as she feels the sleepy, stuttering movements of Soul and her eyes widen as he turns over so that his chest is against her upper back. When his arms slip around her and his head rest in the crook of her neck, she knows that he's half awake; he doesn't move when he's asleep.

So it's no surprise when she turns her head that she notices his closed eyes screwed together in confusion. When they finally open, he looks worried as he pulls his hand in front of his face, inspecting what's gotten on his hand. "Maka, are you okay?" He asks, sitting up as he pulls his arms from around her so that he can turn on the lamp on his bedside table. With the light on, Maka notices just how big of a spot she's made and she flushes crimson as she turns her head away from him, keeping her eyes concentrated on anything but his face. She can't look at him, doesn't want to see his reaction.

But then the cramps return and she tenses, holds her breath as she grits her teeth against the pain. Her jaw is already sore and her arms feel raw from where her hands are clutching and digging into the skin. The headache is still there, never giving her a respite even when the cramps lessen. Maka can't even tell which is worse, too confused by all of the aches.

Then, without a word, Soul picks her up and out of the bed. She can't really tell where he's taking her until he sits her down on a cool surface and the sound of running water is thundering in her ears. When the pain finally subsides the tiniest bit, Maka looks up to find Soul testing the temperature of the water before he nods, satisfied, and looks back at her. "Can you get up or do you need some help?"

Reluctantly, Maka shakes her head and stands – pain racking her body the entire time – and slides the straps of her cotton nighty until it falls to the ground in a tiny pile. Her shorts – stained red – are next, although she discards those to the other side of the room along with her ruined underwear. When she looks at Soul, there's nothing but worry and a carefully concentrated expression as she slowly moves to the bathtub.

Soul doesn't move until he's satisfied that Maka is sitting peacefully, almost fully submerged, in the tub. But even when he turns to leave, Maka's hand flashes out to catch his wrist. She needs to tell him, but the embarrassment is almost too much.

Then she remembers what he just did for her, without judgment or disgust, and fades enough, slowly, that she's able to get the words out. "Um…I kind of ran out of – um – pads and – and stuff. I didn't think this would, uh, happen. It shouldn't have," She mutters, her face still pink. "I have birth control so…" At his blank stare, her eyes soften. "It said that this would only happen to or three times a year. So I didn't go buy any like I usually do."

At her explanation, he nods and darts out of the room, only to return with a small notepad and pencil. "What kind do you need? I remember what brand but I don't remember exactly which ones you get."

She blinks, surprised that he already knows. Didn't guys avoid the topic like the plague? "Uh, well, it's Always pads. I get two kinds though. Ultra thin regular and long, both with wings. The others don't stay. I don't really use tampons so you don't have to worry about those. Oh and if you pass by it, can you pick up some Midol or Aleve? I used a lot of it after our last mission."

Soul jerks his head in a nod before looking up. "Anything else you need? I might as well get a few things if you want them," He offered, but Maka just shook her head in a silent no. "Okay. Let me just go put a shirt on and I'll go to the store. I shouldn't be too long."

It only takes a few minutes before Maka hears the quiet 'click' of the front door closing. Then she almost fully submerges herself, only leaving her nose and the top of her head above the water. The heat is doing wonders, making the cramps fade until they're nothing but a dull ache. Even her chest is feeling better, practically painless while her headache is slowly subsiding. She gets so relaxed that it's only the slam of the front door that reminds her that she's not in bed. With a jump, she pushes herself up before washing herself off. In the middle of it all, she's surprised by the sudden opening and closing of the door, when the two packages are quickly placed on the counter.

With nothing else to clean, Maka grabs a towel from the rack and dries herself off before getting dressed in what Soul managed to grab for her. It's nothing more than one of his oversized v-necks and a pair of her underwear – thankfully, one of her pair especially reserved for the dreaded week – but she's thankful whenever she pulls on the shirt and revels in the feel of the soft cotton against her skin. It almost makes her feel better when the cramps start to come back.

Aiming for the medicine cabinet, Maka walks straight into the kitchen, directly bypassing the open living room to reach the pain relievers. But when she opens the cabinet and finds none, her eyebrows pinch together in confusion. Didn't Soul say he was going to get some?

She's turning when she finally realizes why Soul was so quick when delivering her pads. He was busy setting up _this_.

The living room coffee table is clear of its usual mess of old magazines and video game controllers. Instead, it's covered with almost all of Maka's _favorite _things. Mercifully, one of the things nestled among the treasure trove was Midol and she didn't waste a breath before she picked it up and gulped down two of the white pills. Then there were the drinks and food. He'd gotten her a _huge _cherry limeade from Sonic (when did he have time to get that? He'd only been gone for a little while) and there was more than one container of dulce de leche ice cream. There were gingersnap cookies (her favorite box brand), kettle corn, chunky peanut butter, and tons of other items that she was nearly salivating over.

But the best part wasn't the food or the drugs. It was the books – the movies! He'd gotten her two twenty-five dollar gift cards for her kindle while five movies, rented from redbox, were sitting neatly on the edge of the table, ready to be sorted through. Her kindle was even there (he thought of _everything_) and Maka could barely contain her happiness as she turned to look for the source.

And there was Soul, a sheepish smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I remembered how you like to relax on the couch with some of this stuff when you're like this, so I thought I'd take all of the trouble out of it. I just went get _everything _so you wouldn't have to worry about it."

Maka knows she's probably smiling like an idiot, but she doesn't care. This is the best thing anyone's ever done for her, bar none. Not even her friends had done something like this before during her worst experiences. No one, except for Soul, knew that she liked to be an introvert for the week that followed, fending off not only cramps, but general aches and pain that came with her period.

And Soul was definitely the only one who could do something like this for her. He knew her well, better than she might even know herself on some occasions, and showed it.

"I took care of the sheets, too, while you were in there. Almost thought I'd have to go in there and – "

And she finally pounced, stopping his words with the touch of her lips to his. Soul tensed up for only a moment, surprised, before he relaxed and eased into it, following her lead with a grin. When she finally pulled away – a stupid happy smile on her face and a soft smirk on his – she put her arms around him and silently vowed that she would never let this man get away.


End file.
